Conus janus, common name the janus cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They can sting humans if handled.
Description The size of the shell varies between 37 mm and 80 mm. The maculated spire is concavely elevated and striate. The narrow body whorl narrow has a rounded shoulder, and is distantly sulcate below. The shell is whitish or yellowish, indistinctly three-banded by yellowish brown or chestnut longitudinal markings.G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences
Distribution This marine species occurs in the Mascarene Basin; off Southeast India and the Philippines.
References
Petit, R. E. (2009). George Brettingham Sowerby, I, II & III: their conchological publications and molluscan taxa. Zootaxa. 2189: 1–218 Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015). One, four or 100 genera? A new classification of the cone snails. Journal of Molluscan Studies. 81: 1–23
External links
The Conus Biodiversity website Cone Shells - Knights of the Sea